Blog
LatestArticlesVideosHands-On History
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcast
Show Prep
Events
Restoring the Covenant
More
AboutBooksCharityReal EstateSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2020 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

What Hurts Most About Ted Cruz's Change of Heart

September 28, 2016
 Radio Clips

The Glenn Beck Program

I wanted to clear up a few things about my perspective on Senator Ted Cruz, our on-air conversation and how the media is covering this.

Ted Cruz is a dear friend and my hope is that we will always be dear friends. He is a tremendous senator for the great state of Texas, and I look forward to voting for him in 2018.

RELATED: Glenn Questions Ted Cruz on What It Means to ‘Vote Your Conscience’

Cruz's endorsement of Donald Trump is his to make, and I really do not begrudge him his choice. I know the senator well, and I know this was not an easy decision for him, nor one he took lightly.

As it relates to my endorsement of Senator Cruz, if you go back to the radio show or the transcript, you will see/hear/read very clearly that I was NOT suggesting that in hindsight I SHOULD have endorsed Senator Rubio. It was far more nuanced than that (and I think far more clear than that). I think the transcript says it all, but just in case --- here is the point I was trying to make.

Ted is one of the most decent men I have ever met. He is objectively brilliant --- even according to the "liberal" professor/lawyer Alan Dershowitz. He comes from a good family that cares about our country and our Constitution. He has a number of amazing qualities as a man and as a senator. But, like all of us, he has his weaknesses.

RELATED: The Gift Ted Cruz Gave Us

As a "politician," he could be better. To many onlookers, he does not come off as approachable or real (though --- and I truly mean it --- he is much different in person). He does not instantly connect with people, especially at a distance. He is eloquent, but in a very academic way. As someone explained to me, if you want someone to argue in front of the Supreme Court, he is as good as it gets. But if you want someone to make your case in front of a jury of your peers, you could probably do better.

In my opinion, Senator Cruz has one quality that very few people in politics have, that for me was and is more important than all else. Principles. When people would make the argument that Senator Cruz is self-interested or self-aggrandizing or a me-first politician, I would argue with them and defend Senator Cruz as a man of supreme principles with no give and a backbone of steel.

RELATED: Those Standing on Principle Are in Good Company

On the other hand, there's Senator Rubio --- a strong conservative, though not AS strong as Cruz. BUT, he is a tremendous politician. He is charismatic, interesting, interested and all those soft qualities that great politicians have.

If I was going to endorse a politician, meaning someone who was conservative/constitutional/libertarian ENOUGH --- AND who had an easier path to the White House, I would have endorsed Senator Rubio (someone I could have easily pulled the lever for --- as well as others, like Senator Paul and others).

But I did not want to endorse a politician. I never have and never will.

I believe(d?) Senator Cruz was different. (I put the "d?" because I do not know nearly enough at this time.) That does NOT mean I don't admire the man. That does NOT mean he's not a great Senator. That does NOT mean he wouldn’t make a great president. And that does NOT mean I wouldn’t vote for him for all of the above. But, once you remove the unshakable and unmovable principles from his quiver, he is a politician --- which is fine, just not someone I would endorse in the primaries, nor campaign for.

As a reminder, I had NEVER before endorsed someone in the primaries. This was a unique experience for me.

The endorsement itself was hard on me for a number of reasons --- and these are MY issues, not the Senator’s and not anyone else’s. I won’t get into all the details on this topic (there is a lot to unpack), but these are my main concerns:

1) Are we to vote our conscience or is it a binary choice?

Cruz's sudden push to vote for Trump seemed like a dramatic shift from his previous "vote your conscience" clause (which is fine, it is his choice). However, I also felt like it was a slap in the face to people like me, who understand the calculus (it is ultimately binary since one of these candidates will be the president), but who reject the premise we HAVE to choose.

Again, this is not Cruz's fault I feel this way, but this is how I feel (and what I projected onto him) and why I reacted as I did.

2) What changed?

From my perspective, nothing has changed since the courageous decision to not endorse Trump at the RNC. Everything the senator has listed as reasons to endorse Trump now were known to him then. I would have been much more comfortable with the change of heart if Cruz said he prayed on it (which I know he did), he and his family forgave Donald Trump (as an aside, did Donald ask for forgiveness?) and #neverhillary. Okay.

I have said for a long time now, I do not know the right answer. I am very comfortable with people like Governor Jindal, Mark Levin and many others saying, "Trump is not a conservative, there is a lot I don’t like about him as a candidate or a possible president, but he is better than Hillary."

RELATED: Glenn: For the First Time, I Heard Ted Cruz Calculate

I am still not comfortable with my choice and might never be. I am sickened that I don’t have someone I am willing --- let alone want --- to vote for.

With all of that said, I do not repudiate nor regret my decision to both endorse and campaign for Senator Cruz. I don’t like where we are today (all of it) and know we would be in a far better position if Senator Cruz was the GOP nominee.

This election has been hard on all of us (on both sides of the aisle and beyond). If Ted and I can’t figure out how to stand together 100% of the time just because we only agree 95% of the time, then the two of us have some work to do --- on ourselves and as friends.

Featured Image Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (R) speaks to members of the media as radio talk show host Glenn Beck (L) looks on at Morningstar Fellowship Church February 11, 2016 in Fort Mill, South Carolina. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

GOOD NEWS: Recent polls show strong gains for Trump among traditionally Democratic voters

On the radio program this week, Glenn Beck and Pat Gray discussed a series of recent polls that suggest presidential nominee Joe Biden's expected lead may be slipping with traditionally Democratic voters.

A new poll conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute shows that two-thirds of Jewish voters still plan to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket in November. However, President Donald Trump's support within the Jewish community is also the highest among any Republican candidate in recent history.

In more bad news for Biden, a CNN poll (yes, CNN) released last month showed growing support for President Trump among black voters in swing states. Meanwhile, his support among Latino voters remains at roughly 33%.

"I don't think it's going to go the way the Democrats hope that it will," Glenn said of the election. "If you look at the groups that the Democrats have carefully fostered ... that's falling apart. If Donald Trump can grow that by 5%, and hurt the Democrats by 5% ... that alone could swing the election."

Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

CIVIL WAR: The Way America Could End in 2020

We're being set up for a civil war. The Left is grooming us for an Eastern European-style revolution this election, and they're not even trying to hide it any more. The playbook for Mainstreet USA is the exact same that has been used in places like Ukraine, initiated by the same people in order to completely upend the American system.

On his Wednesday night special this week, Glenn Beck takes us through a tale of three chalkboards that will connect the dots: the Obama admin in Ukraine, the State Department's relationship with George Soros, Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots, the Great Reset, public school indoctrination, mail-in voting. It all points to something dangerous happening in November if we don't act now.

Watch the full video below:


The only way to watch the extended episode of tonight's show is on BlazeTV. Start your free trial and get $20 off a one-year subscription with code BANTHIS.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multiplatform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream

GAME ON: Glenn Beck reveals EVIDENCE of arson in West Coast fires, dares Big Tech to 'throttle this'

The left has already determined that the wildfires raging across the West Coast were definitely caused by climate change and Big Tech is determined to silence anyone who dares suggest otherwise. Facebook even announced a sweeping policy on Saturday to remove posts that claim the fires were caused by arson from far-left activists.

But on his radio program Wednesday, Glenn Beck revealed multiple arrest records for suspected arsonists in California, Oregon, and Washington — and several of those charged and arrested were also instigators in Black Lives Matter rallies, violent protests, and Antifa riots. He also called out the "news gods" in Big Tech, daring them to try to censor his video.

"I asked my staff, to see if there was any evidence [of arson] on the fires. And I don't mean evidence from Twitter. I mean evidence. Is there anybody who has been arrested for arson?" Glenn said. "Well, here they are. And YouTube and Facebook, go ahead. I want you to demonetize this clip. I want you to somehow or another say that we're lying. I want you to throttle this. Go ahead. Because then you're going to have to explain what we got wrong. And I happen to have all the documents right here. So my attorney is really ready for that throttling or demonetization. You say you're a protector of the truth? Great, here it is."

Glenn read off the first 10 arrest records, which combined allege the destruction of more than 120,000 acres and 700 structures, as well as tens of thousands of people evacuated from their homes.

"You want to tell us, PolitiFact, how you came to the conclusion ... that there was no arson in these fires?" Glenn asked. "Can you tell me how you came to that conclusion? Because your fact-check seems to be entirely false."

Watch the video below for more details:


Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn's masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

'This is a person who LOVES America': Sarah Huckabee Sanders on the REAL Donald Trump

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined Glenn Beck on this week's podcast to share her unique perspective as a trusted adviser and confidante to President Donald Trump for two and a half years, which she also details in her new book, "Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House."

Sarah described the unprecedented levels of corruption she saw firsthand during the Russia probe and shocking lengths to which Democratic leaders and the mainstream media would go to "take the president down."

Sarah said she often saw sides of Donald Trump that the media never covered. Recently, she went on the record denying the Atlantic's claims that the president mocked our military during a 2018 trip to France. She was on that trip, she told Glenn, and her account of what really happened paints a very different picture.

"The people who are making this outrageous charge are such cowards for doing so in an anonymous way. If you really believed this, and believed it was wrong, one, why did it take you so long? And, two, put your name on it the way the rest of us have," Sarah said.

"He didn't say those things. Not only was I there that day, Glenn, I spent two and a half years traveling all over the world with the president, watching him interact with men and women of our armed forces almost every single day during that two-and-a-half year period," she added.

"This is a person who loves America and loves the people who allow the rest of us to live in America, free, and have prosperity. And I got to see that a lot. I think it is shameful that people are trying to distort who he is and what he has done, particularly when it comes to the men and women in the military."

Watch a clip from the full interview with Sarah Huckabee Sanders below:

Find the full podcast below, on Glenn's YouTube channel or on Blaze Media's podcast network.


Want to listen to more Glenn Beck podcasts?

Subscribe to Glenn Beck's channel on YouTube for FREE access to more of his masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, or subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.